LA Clippers' Lawrence Frank Named NBA Executive of the Year
LA Clippers President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank has officially been named the NBA Executive of the Year for the 2019-2020 season, the Clippers announced on Thursday.
Frank has seemingly had the award wrapped up since last summer, when LA managed to acquire both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George during the league's free agency period.
At the time, Leonard and George were considered to be two of the very best players in basketball. Leonard had just won his second NBA title and first with the Toronto Raptors, earning his second NBA Finals MVP award in the process. George, on the other hand, was fresh off the best season of his career, which saw him finish as a finalist for League MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.
Those were the big moves — but Frank's front office achieved much more than just that.
LA also re-signed key role players, including Patrick Beverley, Ivica Zubac and JaMychal Green, to team-friendly contracts as they hoped to pursue an NBA title. To help improve depth, the Clippers landed Patrick Patterson and Rodney McGruder on solid contracts as well.
Frank's work wasn't done yet, though. The front office managed to swing a deal for Marcus Morris Sr. at the trade deadline that gave the Clippers a legitimate third option in the starting rotation on both offense and defense. His performance for LA in the postseason was key, and he should be in line to agree to a new deal with the Clippers this offseason.
Per the organization's release, LA Clippers Chairman Steve Ballmer is quoted as saying the following of Frank and the front office's performance this past season:
"L is a passionate, dedicated, and selfless leader. I am proud of the work he and his group are doing, and thrilled his peers feel the same way. This award is a great tribute to the hard work done by the entire front office, including our General Manager Michael Winger, Assistant GMs Mark Hughes and Trent Redden, and consultant Jerry West. Together, they have worked to develop every facet of our basketball operations department."
Frank finished with 61 total points (10 first-place votes), with Oklahoma City's Sam Presti and Miami's Pat Riley coming in a distant second and third.
